MCCANN-ERICKSON/SOUTHWEST, TEMERLIN TO MERGE

Plans call for McCann-Erickson's approximately 100 employees, working in offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans, to move into Temerlin's location in Irving, Texas, which currently has about 300 staffers.

The combined office will operate as Temerlin McClain; current Temerlin CEO Dennis McClain will head the office. Mark Denesuk, executive vice president and general manager of McCann's Dallas office, is expected to stay with the new entity, but his title is not yet known.

No layoffs have been announced with the merger, and the possibility of future layoffs could not be determined at press time.

With the removal of McCann-Erickson's name in the Southwest, McCann-Erickson Worldwide now operates four McCann-branded offices in the United States: Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Earlier this summer McCann-Erickson/Seattle was renamed Sedgwick Road. -- Lisa Sanders